Chris Lighty, a hip-hop mogul who helped the likes of Sean “Diddy” Combs, 50 Cent and Mariah Carey attain not only hit records, but also lucrative careers outside music, was found dead in his New York City apartment Thursday in an apparent suicide. He was 44.

He was found at his home in the Bronx with a gunshot to the head and was pronounced dead there, police said. No note was recovered, but a 9 mm handgun was found and there was no sign of forced entry, said Paul Browne, New York police spokesman. The shooting appears to be self-inflicted, authorities said.

Lighty had been a part of the scene for decades, working with pioneers like LL Cool J before starting his own management company, Violator. But he was in the midst of a divorce and had been having recent financial and personal troubles.

Twitter was abuzz with condolences just hours after the body was found around 11:30 a.m.

“R.I.P. Chris Lighty,” Fat Joe posted on his account. “The man that saved my life!” Diddy wrote: “In shock.” Rihanna posted: “Rest peacefully Chris Lighty, my prayers go out to family and loved ones! Dear God please have mercy.” And Mary J. Blige wrote: “U never know what can send a person over the edge or make them want 2 keep living. take it easy on people.”

50 Cent said in a statement issued through his publicist that he was deeply saddened by the loss.

“Chris has been an important part of my business and personal growth for a decade,” he said. “He was a good friend and advisor who helped me develop as an artist and businessman. My prayers are with his family. He will be greatly missed.”

Lighty was raised by his mother in the Bronx as one of six children. He ran with a group called The Violators, the inspiration for the name of his management company, according to the company website. He was a player in the hip-hop game since he was a kid DJ. He rose through the ranks at Rush Management — mogul Russell Simmons’ first company — before eventually founding Violator Management in the late 1990s.

“Today, we lost a hip-hop hero and one of its greatest architects,” Simmons tweeted.

Lighty’s roster ranged from Academy Award-winners Three 6 Mafia to maverick Missy Elliott to up-and-comer Papoose and perpetual star Carey. He made it his mission not so much to make musical superstars, but rather multifaceted entertainers who could be marketed in an array of ways: a sneaker deal here, a soft drink partnership there, a movie role down the road.

In a 2007 interview with The Associated Press, Lighty talked about creating opportunities for his stars — a Chapstick deal for LL Cool J, known for licking his lips, and a vitamin supplement deal for 50 Cent.

“As music sales go down because kids are stealing it off the Internet and trading it and iPod sales continue to rise, you can’t rely on just the income that you would make off of being an artist,” he said at the time.

Survivors include his two children. He and his wife, Veronica, had been in the process of divorcing. The case was still listed as active, but electronic records show an agreement to end it was filed in June.

He was also having financial trouble. City National Bank sued Lighty, whose given name is Darrell, in April, saying he had overdrawn his account by $53,584 and then refused to pay the balance. The case was still pending.

He also owed more than $330,000 in state and federal taxes, according to legal filings. His tax problems were much steeper a year ago, but he cleared away millions of dollars in earlier IRS liens last October, after selling his Manhattan apartment for $5.6 million.

Larry Mestel, the CEO of Primary Wave Music, the entertainment company that created the joint venture Primary Violator management last fall with Violator Management, said: “We are extremely shocked and sadden by this tragic news. Chris was a friend, business partner and most of all, an icon, role model and true legend of the music and entertainment industry. He will be missed by many and we send love and support to his family.”

]]>http://www.guttaworld.com/hip-hop-mogul-chris-lighty-dies-in-nyc/feed/0TECH N9NE’S STRANGE MUSIC DROPS NEW ALBUM DAMN FOOL! FROM BIG SCOOB ON MAY 3http://www.guttaworld.com/for-immediate-release-tech-n9ne%e2%80%99s-strange-music-drops-new-album-damn-fool-from-big-scoob-on-may-3/
http://www.guttaworld.com/for-immediate-release-tech-n9ne%e2%80%99s-strange-music-drops-new-album-damn-fool-from-big-scoob-on-may-3/#commentsThu, 28 Apr 2011 22:02:23 +0000http://www.guttaworld.com/?p=6298(Los Angeles, CA) BIG SCOOB IS A DAMN FOOL! The “fool” has always balanced out the pride of the king. It’s no different with Strange Music founder Tech N9ne and his longtime buddy Big Scoob. Big Scoob is no ordinary fool, however, as his 26-track new album makes clear: he’s a Damn Fool. Who else but Scoob would describe his car as “shining like a can of root beer”?

“Growing up in the ‘hood in Kansas City, a damn fool, that was me!” says Big Scoob. “I’d stick to my whiskey bottle, go as hard as I wanted to. But now I’m seeing the effects of that over the long term, so I’m in a position to tell cautionary tales. Don’t worry, I got jokes!”

Big Scoob and Tech N9ne grew up together in Kansas City, cliqued in the group 57th Rogue Dog Villains (RDVs for short), scoring a huge local hit with “Let’s Get Fucked Up”. In 2009, Big Scoob recorded his debut album Monsterifik for Tech’s label Strange Music. “When I let my personality out on tour, cats like Fat Joe and E-40 were howling and said ‘You a damn fool!’ Tech N9ne was watching and told me, ‘That’s what I want you to give people on this new album.'”

Set to appear on select dates of Tech N9ne’s All 6s & 7s tour starting in May, Scoob will serve his new cups-up anthems “Lemonade Delight” and “Drunk & Stupid” to fans young and old. “It’s party time!” enthuses Scoob. “And this Damn Fool says everyone’s invited.”

Fat Joe’s name has reportedly been cleared in the sexual assault case that stems from an incident involving a Madison, Wisconsin woman.

The Terror Squad leader’s camp released a statement confirming the news on Thursday (June 24) night and thanked fans and friends, who stood beside the New York lyricist. The announcement also cleared up previous reports that said the rapper was detained. He was never taken into police custody, but was instead questioned inside of his hotel.

“Josepha Cartagena, known as Fat Joe, and others have been officially cleared by the Madison Wisconsin Police Department of any wrongdoing,” read the statement. “Fat Joe had no contact with, and never spoke to his accuser. He was questioned for a few minutes at his hotel room and was never detained by the police.”

It continued on to say, “Making a false claim of a sexual nature in order to extort money is one of the most horrific accusations because it not only tarnishes reputations but has the potential to destroy families. Mr. Cartagena wholeheartedly thanks his family, friends, and fans for their continued support, loyalty, and words of encouragement throughout this ordeal.”

In other news, Joe is scheduled to release his tenth studio album, The Darkside, later this year. The LP will feature collaborations with The Clipse, Trey Songz, Rico Love, R. Kelly, and Young Jeezy, amongst others.

Fat Joe is making moves to bring back to light his longstanding rap career.

After a lackluster release with his J.O.S.E. (Jealous Ones Still Envy) 2 album, Joey Crack is set for a comeback.

As previously reported Joe is doing just that and making plans to release his latest album The Darkside.

In between prepping for his new project Fat Joe is now celebrating being the latest artist signed to Alan GrunBlatt’s E1 Music.

The label head and the rapper are actually reuniting through the deal with GrunBlatt confirming that he was the very first person to sign Joey Crack to a record deal.

“I originally signed Fat Joe to his first record deal and was blown away by the new material Joe played me. Fate has brought us back together; trust me when I tell you he’s got bangers for days!”

Fat Joe agrees with Alex and released a statement of his own giving props to E1 Music and Grunblatt for their support saying,

“It’s been a long time coming. I have a long history with Alan Grunblatt and everyone at E1. Although it’s a small label, they have the best marketing and promotion staff in the hip hop game and I’m looking forward to working with them on my new album, ‘The Dark Side.”

The official release date for The Dark Side has officially been named for June 28th, 2010.